Maori All Blacks: Who They Are and Why They Matter

The Maori All Blacks have an impressive record against both club and international teams, which was extended in a 26-10 victory over Harlequins in their 150th anniversary year. Sports Gazette spoke to Maori players and coaches at Twickenham Stoop to learn why they are so special.

New Zealand is defined by its rugby. From the haka to the all-black strip, this country has rugby running in its roots.

Everyone knows about the All Blacks’ success (bar shortcomings in Chicago) but there is a vital cog in the New Zealand wheel: the Maori All Blacks.

Tana Umaga, assistant coach of the Maori All Blacks and former All Blacks captain, told the Sports Gazette:

“For these guys they’re representing their culture as well, the indigenous people of our country and it’s a really proud culture that is steeped in history.

“The Maori All Blacks have been around for a long time and so a lot of them, when they come here, the thing that binds them is their culture.”

The Maori All Blacks were formed in 1888 to represent the indigenous people of Aotearoa, the Maori name for New Zealand.

Their origins are traced to eastern Polynesia and became known as persevering adventurers when they journeyed to New Zealand in waka canoes.

The Maoris’ first rugby tour, comprised of over 100 matches from 1888 to 1889, went to Europe. Their first win: 13-4 against Ireland, but their first loss, against Wales, came soon after. But this did not spoil a fruitful first tour with 78 ins, 6 draws and 23 losses.

Becoming official in 1910, the Maoris’ genealogy rule was enforced. All players had to have Maori genealogy to play in the side.

Today, the Maoris are a second team to the All Blacks so suffer from irregular squads from one year to another as players are called up.

Umaga admires the resilience of the players in the squad, saying: “A few players have gone on a few tours before, this is how it is and we’ve got a good group of core leaders in the group who let the players know what it’s like and what is expected of them.”

The players get the opportunity to learn about their Maori heritage whilst with the team.

“A lot of them are not full Maori but they get to learn a lot about what it means to be Maori, where they’re from you know, with the help of our Kaumatua Luke Crawford so they can trace their lineage back and get a deeper understanding,” Umaga said.

“They’re not only enlightened by the rugby side of it; they’re enlightened culturally and obviously for myself, being the first time, it’s great to see that.

“Players do a bit more searching about who they represent. I think that’s the major thing – it’s the people that they’re representing, they’re very proud to do that.”

For these guys they’re representing their culture as well, the indigenous people of our country and it’s a really proud culture that is steeped in history. ”

The Maoris have suffered some troubling times in their history, especially in 1970s South Africa when all Maori players were banned from the New Zealand squad on tour.

Before this, in 1956, Maoris lost 37-0 to South Africa in their biggest lost to date. Rumours are they were told to lose by Ernest Corbett, Minister of Maori Affairs, “for the future of rugby”.

The history provides a factor behind which the Maori players can unite and it is clear for everyone to see, especially head coach Colin Cooper.